Chapter Twenty-Two
"We are at the scene now of a four alarm fire in the Fort Hamilton section of Brooklyn where firefighters are battling the blaze in the intense July heat. Four firemen have just entered this fully engulfed building in an attempt…"
Frank shut the TV off and pulled Lila close to him. "Ssh, baby…He's fine. He's trained, this is his job, ssh…"
Eddie sat down beside Lila, "Grandpa is right. Calm down, it's not healthy for you to get so upset in your 29th week. Take a deep breath for four seconds, hold four seconds, and let our four seconds…"
Lila matched Eddie's even breaths. Jamie was at the scene of the fire along with Jack and of course Steven. There was a considerable police presence, Jamie wanted to be there.
"That's my girl, why don't you go up to our room and lie down for a little bit. As soon as I get a call from Dad I'll update you." Eddie stroked Lila's hair, her maternal instinct telling her that the flush of Lila's cheeks was not safe.
"All right," Lila replied. "Can you carry up some water for me please?" Lately Lila needed both hands to balance climbing stairs.
Eddie looked at Frank raising an eyebrow. She got Lila her water and tucked the quilt around her turning up the air conditioning. "I love you, try to rest. I'm right downstairs, just call out for me. I'll hear you."
Lila smiled, "Mom, is it true you know when something is wrong with us before we know it sometimes?"
Eddie nodded, "That is very very true," she replied. "You'll see, there is no love on earth more powerful than what you will feel for those babies. If Steven steps out of line with them, too harsh or something you will even feel the urge to protect them against him. I remember when Daddy wanted to spank Joey once…I went off on him with more strength and energy than I had in days. You'll see." Eddie kissed Lila's cheek and went back downstairs to await Jamie.
Lila napped for two hours, Jamie arrived home just before she woke up. "Where's Lila?"
"She's upstairs asleep," Eddie replied. "Why? Oh no…"
"No, he's fine," Jamie said quickly. "Physically, he's fine."
"Mom," Lila called hearing her father's voice from downstairs. "Mom?"
"I'll go," Jamie told Eddie seeing she needed a minute to catch her breath after fearing for her son-in-law.
Jamie headed upstairs and pushed the bedroom door open. "Dad?"
"Steven's still going to be a while dealing with some paper work, he wants you to stay the night here and he'll come here when he's done."
"Dad, if he was hurt…"
"If he was hurt I'd tell you," Jamie assured you. "As it is, he's going to need your special kind of love tonight."
"What's happened?" Lila asked sitting up and putting her hand on her belly.
"There was a big fire, five engine companies and all of Brooklyn precincts. Most of the people got out, even their animals, but a father and his baby got trapped inside behind some fallen beams and Steven and the others…they were pulled before he was able to find them. He's really torn up, he wanted to stay inside and try to get them but his Captain…He's really broken up."
Lila nodded, "Help me up?"
Jamie laughed and helped Lila to her feet. "I remember these days with your Mom, but she wasn't quite as big as you are yet. How are my grandchildren doing?"
"I think they are napping, they were moving lot but now not so much," Lila replied bracing her back with her hand.
Jamie supervised the decent on the stairs, Frank slowly carried in a tray with tea. They settled down around the TV eating whatever struck any of them. These were some of Eddie's favorite moments, just sitting together, not talking, just being together.
Eddie made up Lila's old room for her before she turned in for the night. Jamie was so tense when he lay down beside her. "What is it? What aren't you telling us?" Eddie could feel his resistance in his body.
"The mother of that child," Jamie swallowed. "She went ballistic, which was her right. She took off after the fire Captain, assaulted him….she was screaming insults at Steven and the other men. But the most chilling part…she made threats, calm threats…When we ran her name, I had to have arrested after the assault, she's mentally ill, I'm concerned for Steven, I'm concerned for all of them. We can't hold her, no ADA in the world is going to charge a grieving mother and wife."
Eddie sighed, "I'm sure she didn't mean it, lambchop. She was upset. Look how I acted when Joe got shot and I knew he going to be okay. We'll be extra vigilant, if you want ask Jack to put a team on their apartment…"
"I'll think about that," Jamie sighed. "For now, I hope Lila inherited your ability to comfort and empathize…he'll need it."
Eddie kissed Jamie's head, "I love you and if Steven needs a mother, he's got one. Rest, you worked almost 15 hours today."
Jamie sighed and closed his eyes as Eddie stroked his hair.
It was after three when Steven tiptoed into his wife's old bedroom. The soft moonlight fell on her and made her look more radiant and beautiful than he could ever recall her looking. She slept on her side, her hand protectively over babies.
Steven sat on the bed and covered his face with his hands. If it had been his babies burning alive in that building, no one would have kept him out. As Steven sat and watched Lila, all of the emotions he had choked down at the scene, at the firehouse, at the debriefing came ratcheting up. His throat burned from more than just the arid smoke and his breath hitched he finally let his emotions run free.
It was the sound of Steven's harsh breathing that woke Lila. She sat up quickly seeing her strong husband, shoulders hunched, crying as silently as possible. "Steven?" Lila moved closer and wrapped him up in her arms, their babies pressing against his back. "Oh, baby, ssh…ssh…I know. I know, Dad told me."
"I tried, I did I tried…" Steven sobbed turning to cradle Lila close and keep their babies safe between then. "I don't understand….I don't understand why that mother…The older children could walk and run and move on their own…That poor baby, he couldn't…"
Lila rubbed Steven's back and he hiccupped and questioned the mother's motives. "I don't know why, Baby," Lila sighed. "I don't know why they did that either. I wish I did…"
The babies kicked and tumbled in Lila's belly as if they too were trying to soothe their father. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"
"Yeah, they just let me come home to destress for a bit, I have to report by 8."
"Lie down then," Lila told him. "I'll get up and fix you breakfast."
"No, I don't think I could eat. ME found the bodies, oh God Lil…" Steven jumped of the bed remembering the charred corpses and ran to the bathroom across from Jamie and Eddie's room. Lila could hear the retching and gagging, so could Jamie and Eddie.
Lila pushed the door open and rubbed Steven's back as he had with her so many time during her pregnancy. "It's all right, just breathe into it."
Jamie appeared in the doorway, "Lila, give me a minute with him." Jamie knew what it was like to see those terrible things, he might be able to help so Lila kissed her husband and silently thanked her father.
"Keep your head down," Jamie told Steven as he made a compress and laid it on the younger man's neck. "You know, in this many year on the job almost 35 years a cop, you see a lot of things. Blood, guts…my first D B the guy bled out and was holding in his own guts in. It was disgusting and I threw up the entire night. I know you've seen a lot of mess in the two years on the fire team, and the longer you're on the team you'll learn that there are two kinds of firemen, two kinds of cops…two kind of anything really….the kind that gets rid of their feelings and the kind that keeps them. If you are going to be the kind that keeps them, you're going to be sick a lot, but I think you'll be the better man for doing so."
Steven lifted his head to look up at Jamie but felt another wave of nausea, "Keep your head down," Jamie said again. "You'll be a better man, you might be a better fireman, definitely a better father and husband, but you'll get sick. The important thing is to release it, talk to Lila, talk to me or Eddie, we have been there, we do understand what it feels like to see a dead child, dying in such a horrific way…"
Jamie knelt down by Steven as the younger man got sick over and over again. Jamie rubbed his back like he did when Joey saw his first body, offering silent support. Eddie heard her husband's soft words, she padded downstairs to fix a cup of herbal tea for Steven. When the nausea finally passed, Jamie stood up and helped Steven to his feet. Eddie was in the hall with a steaming mug of tea. "Here, this is Frank's sure fire cure for stomach upset," Eddie replied. "Drink it, get some rest. We are here to listen always."
Steven took the steaming mug and smiled at Jamie and Eddie. They were like his surrogate parents and it helped to hear their advice and feel their support.
Steven went back into the bedroom, Lila was lying down waiting. "Ah, Mom made you tea. Lie down and try to sleep."
Steven sipped the soothing blend then took a breath, "It's times like this I really miss being able to call my Dad."
"Why don't you?" Lila asked rubbing Steven's arm.
"Because I can't until they apologize to you and your family," Steven replied. "That was my line in the sand. I will not move it now especially so close to the birth."
Lila smiled, "I love you. I wish you had tomorrow off. I can ask my father…"
"No," Steven said firmly. "I didn't do anything special tonight, I did my job like every other man out there. You father explained the difference, and if it makes me that kind of father, that kind of man…I'm good with it."
Steven rolled over and pulled Lila close, "Let's sleep as much as we can together. You stay here tomorrow and rest all right?"
Lila nodded, "Yes but when your cycle is over I'll be home waiting for you. We have to start packing and things since the financing is in place."
Steven nodded, "For now just rest, please you are so precious to me, baby. Please don't put yourself or these babies at risk."
Lila nodded and kissed his head, "I love you so much. Let's just hold each other tight."
Steven sighed and pulled Lila closer, breathing in the scent of her hair. The words of the grieving mother and widow still rung in his head, "You'll pay for this," she had shouted. "With your children's blood…"
Steven held Lila even tighter, if the sheer force of his love could protect his family, nothing would harm a hair on their heads.
A/N: Steven had a rough night there, but he's slowly accepting Jamie and Eddie as his parents and embracing the Reagan family. But will this unstable woman carry out her ominous threats against Steven's family?
Next Update – May 26th – Lila learns of the threats against her family and reacts in a classic Reagan way. Lila receives a bone chilling phone call.
